Moderators and vice moderators chosen for 18 committees

June 10, 2010

The moderators and vice moderators of the 18 committees for the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have been named. The leadership was chosen from the 712 commissioners to this year’s assembly, to be held July 3-10 in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Reverend Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), selected the leadership with the assistance of the stated clerk of the General Assembly, the executive director of the General Assembly Mission Council, the director of operations for the Office of the General Assembly (OGA), the chairperson of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, a member of the General Assembly Committee on Representation, and OGA managers of General Assembly business and assembly services.

The Standing Rules of the General Assembly were used to guide the selection process, which took place after every presbytery had shared the names of its elected commissioners to the Office of the General Assembly. The criteria included provisions that the moderators of at least half of the assembly committees, including any committees dealing with finance and budgets, shall be elders; the moderators of at least half of the committees should be women; and no more than one person from any presbytery may be appointed. In addition, there should be an equitable distribution of representation among all of the PC(USA) synods.

Prior to the selection of the leadership, which took place on April 5, 2010, the full list of commissioners to this year’s assembly was distributed to presbyteries, synods, General Assembly agencies, advocacy and advisory committees, PC(USA) seminaries and elsewhere asking for input about anyone whose name was on the list in terms of qualification for committee leadership. Written comments were collected and shared with Reyes-Chow, who also solicited input from a wide array of sources across the PC(USA). In addition, commissioners who were nominated were asked to complete a questionnaire about their interests, gifts, skills and their willingness to serve if asked.

Social Justice Issues: Promotion of Social Righteousness – Theresa Cho (minister, San Francisco Presbytery) as moderator; John Arbuckle (elder, West Virginia Presbytery) as vice moderator

Social Justice Issues: Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World – James Bender, Jr. (elder, Coastal Carolina Presbytery) as moderator; Kristen Gerling (elder, Donegal Presbytery) as vice moderator